El Rincón Criollo

This place is outstanding! Owned by a couple the food is authentic & fresh! Had a little of everything & was not disappointed! Must try for anyone who likes Cuban!

If you want a good Caribbean meal at a good price. Then this your place. I have taken my whole family and we all agree that the food is legit but you better make sure not to be in a rush. It takes awhile to prepare the food.

Great Puerto Rican food on the NE side of San Antonio. Friendly young couple running this restaraunt. I’ll definitely will be back with friends.

I was craving Ropa Vieja and decided to go in. The young man who took my order was very polite. I also had arroz con gandu and salad. I like that my food was made to order. And the music made me want dance.
The arroz con gandules was good and the ropa vieja was average. It will definitely try again.

Would you like some great Caribbean fare in a relaxed atmosphere — look no further. Hidden just off Pat Booker in Universal City, the owners, a young Puerto Rican couple, serve up some tasty food for lunch and dinner. My husband and I have been for the lunch several times and dinner once. During lunch they have a buffet with the essentials — roasted pork, arroz con gandules (rice with pigeon peas), etc. I had the cubano sandwich with tostones — both fantastic. Between visits I CRAVE their fried yucca; the butter herb mixture she puts on it is delectable and everything should be dipped in that sauce! On our most recent visit for dinner we were treated to a generous mahi mahi dish — it’s not on the menu. Lightly pan fried and served with sauteed peppers and onions.
We just love this place and will keep going back for sure despite it being out of our way. It’s just worth the trip for friendly, laid-​back service and seriously good Caribbean food. My husband is from south Florida and lived in Puerto Rico for some time, so is very thankful to have this restaurant to enjoy. One caveat: it’s a Caribbean restaurant, so don’t expect a rushed meal. Laid back is the Caribbean way!

First time at a Puerto Rico restaurant, I tried the buffet for $ 8.64 with tax. Each day they have different items, but most days have a white and a yellow rice, one meat by itself, a plain salad, a soup, and maybe a stew. That’s it.
This is a very limited buffet with only 4 warmers trays. there wasn’t even any desert. If you ask for water, you are given a bottle water and charged $ 1 for it. At first, I was so disappointed that I skipped my chance to go to the Thai place down the street because as I sat down, the two rices (on somedays have pigeon peas in them) were gummy and unflavored.
Then, I tried the pinto beans (bland and a little tough) and the chicken soup, which was watery, unseasoned, and full of nuckle meat like dark meat chicken scraps. There were also fried dark chicken pieces with bones hacked into small pieces. There was no skin on the chicken and it was just skinless chicken battered with flour. It was bland as well with too much salt.
Why the 4 stars? well there was a huge menu on the wall, and I know the owner can cook based on one dish on the buffet alone: Bacalao, a Puerto Rican fish stew. This dish was more like a fish soup to me because of the thin consistency of the broth. It is made with stewed salted cod fish simmered in a rich orange broth that was made with deeply rich fish stock.
You are supposed to pour that fish «stew» over rice on your plate, but with that overcooked rice that he makes and the thinness of the soup, I suggest you just use those little soup bowls he provides. I ate and drank 3 cup fulls of that soup packed full of that cod. With the exception of my own seafood gumbo, that was one of the best soups I ever ate. It was packed with perfectly cooked flaky cod and perfectly cooked potatoes.
The fish stew is only served on Thursdays. He serves cubano sandwiches and 40 other items on his menu, which are on the wall. Universal City, You now have a third buffet. My San Antonio friends: don’t make a special trip, you may be better served going to Jamaica Jamaica. I will be back in the future for some of this fish stew on Thursdays.

My friend who has grown up on Puerto Rican food suggested this place so we had to try it out.
Good things:
The food was pretty good. I had the tripleta and some kind of fried bananas (which I can not remember the actual name), and bottled water which all came out to right over 10 $.
The server was pretty friendly and helpful.
The music will make you wanna dance in your seat.
I hear they have a buffet during the lunch hours. I’ll have to come by to try that out.
Not so good things:
The menu is very confusing. It’s all in Spanish so unless you really understand Spanish, you won’t really understand the menu. It would be a lot more convenient if they had a description (in English) of what the dish is. I had to ask the server about just about everything on the menu, he was helpful but also hard to understand.
We had a party of 5 and had trouble finding a place to sit that would accommodate 5 people. There were booths for 4 and 2 people, and very large Table for around 10 people.
If you’re looking for a quick place to eat then this is not for you. It took us about 40ish minutes from the time we ordered the food to when we actually got it.
Overall I would probably try this place again. See for it yourself. Go and support local business!

Went for lunch and the have buffet everyday at this place. It is owned by a young couple from Puerto Rico and I think the placed is being open for more than six months and it seems its barely making it it doesn’t get that much visit when I go, but I could be wrong. The food is not bad at all, today they had two kind of rice, fried chicken, bacalao (stew dried cod), beans, chicken soup, salad. Everything was good and got to try some cuerito (chicharron/​pork rind).
The place is small so is not good for large parties they a little slow in the kitchen and forgetful I ordered some tostones and they never came so we left it alone.
The owners are very friendly and helpful. One thong when you go to this place he only takes cash he does not have credit car machine.
I wish the best for then and hope they prosper in their business.

Went on a Sunday when they had live music. Music was great and so was the service. Good food too! The cubano was a little small but my other food was great portions! Service was slow but it was clear the food was made to order so I’m okay with that! All in all will more then likely be returning soon!

First time visiting this restaurant. The people that work there were friendly. There is a few cons, parking space a bit limited, cash only, I understand it’s a new business but I hope they resolve this and take cards too as it is kind of an inconvenience to have to pay with cash only. No menus, menu its in a white board. We waited quite a bit for the food but I understand mofongo takes time to cook. I can say the wait was worth the food, the mofongo has a great flavor and the shrimp too. The service was good. I suggest to call ahead and order so you don’t have to wait that much. Overall one of the best mofongos I have tried. Thanks for the excellent food. Friendly people. Lo recomiendo !!

Poor service!!!
These people think they’re on the Island. When I go there, I’m used to the entitled lazy Puerto Ricans who run their business on their terms, on their time, without any consideration for anyone other than themselves. They run their restaurants with inconsistent hours. Closing whenever they want and giving good service when they feel like it but mostly shelling out crap service. Being a Puerto Rican, I can say these things. Usually they’re under staffed. One guy takes orders, the same guy buses, the same guy is the cashier and waiter, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he was also responsible for making the food!
This is the same horrible service we received today. We drove 40 min with a baby and 2 yr old, and got there at 5. The waiter got the order from the table across from us and returned shortly and got out drink orders and within a few minutes, brought us our drinks. He said he would be right back to take our orders. Mind you, they don’t have any menus. Their menu is on a big white board, on the floor near the front the whole entire restaurant has to share. They don’t have enough seating and they don’t even seem to have air conditioning either. Also, it’s Cash Only!
Anyhow, my parents arrived at 5:11. At 5:30, still no one had come to get their drink orders, our refills, or our orders. A very large group decided to start paying, and our waiter, was cashing them out and asking what each of them got! But the owner was outside talking to people he knew. When my parents had walked in, he said, you made it just on time, the boat almost took off without you?! The restaurant closes at 6! Not 5!!!
Needless to say, with 3 other tables still without their food, it wasn’t looking good at all.
So we started getting up to leave and my husband went to pay for our drinks. The owner finally asked if everything was ok. According to him, they close according to when the «house gets full», basically whenever it suits them, which is apparently not 6 on Sundays. He told my dad that «he let them in»! My dad told them if he wants his business to succeed, that isn’t the way to do it. The owner then said, well god bless you, have a nice day… facetiously. Mind you, we’re all Puerto Rican. But American expect timely and good service. You can’t do things the way they’re done on the Island. You have to treat your customers right. If you want to close at a certain time, then close at that time, not an hour before!
The food and drink selection seemed great and I’m sure he food is delicious. But this is probably the worst service I’ve received in a restaurant in a very long time and it makes me ashamed to even call myself a Puerto Rican, if I have to be associated with this place.
Stay away, his place won’t be here for long.

We ordered off the menu because the buffet seemed small and it was a great decision… beef empanadas were crisp and not oily… maduros were sweet… the pork chops were seasoned perfectly not too salty and the arroz con habichuelas were tasty… the owner is super nice and gave us free soup

This place is awsome. The owners usealy come out and greet you. They are still working some issues but not to worry. If u don’t make the buffet i suggest the bistec encebollado.

This review is only for the buffet. Although it wasn’t bad it was lackluster and incredibly repetitive. Chicken with potatoes were served alongside mashed potatoes. 2 types of beans, 2 types of rice. Then a dish of rice and beans mixed together. Vegetable soup, macaroni salad, and an undressed salad of lettuce and tomato. The menu looks much more interesting and I’m looking forward to trying the mofongo and other items. $ 9.50 for lunch buffet and bottled water.

Stopped by for the first time. The place is kind of hidden but it’s nice! Food was great!!! Service was great! I am coming back for their buffet next time! So recommend this place!